Chattanooga Medical Malpractice Law Firm

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), over 225,000 people die from medical malpractice in the United States annually. JAMA also reports that nearly half of these deaths result from errors that are made in emergency rooms, which is the one place where life and death is ultimately in the hands of the medical professionals who are treating patients. With these numbers being so high, it is important that medical professionals be held accountable for their actions and are prevented from breaching their duty to patients. One way in which medical professionals are held liable is through the law and through the filing of medical malpractice claims.

Filing a Medical Malpractice Case

Once you have been injured by a doctor, surgeon, nurse or hospital staff member, he/she may be wondering if you should take legal action for the injuries you suffered. The truth is that not every patient who believes they have a medical malpractice lawsuit will be able to successfully file a claim. The reason for this is that medical malpractice cases are very complex and require the plaintiffs to prove several factors. If you plan to file a medical malpractice claim against a medical professional, you must be able to prove that:

• the medical professional had a duty to treat you
• the medical professional breached this duty in some way, either inadequate or inappropriate treatment, failing to diagnose or by acting negligently
• you sustained a serious injury
• you sustained the injury because the medical professional that treated you breached the standard of care.

What most people do not realize is that the factors just mentioned are difficult to prove, especially when facing a medical professional’s defense team, a hospital or a large insurance company. For this reason, patients who have been injured at the hands of people within the medical community should always hire a qualified medical malpractice lawyer who has handled these types of cases in the past and who has the investigative resources it takes to challenge powerful defendants both in and out of court. 

Tennessee Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Helping Victims of Medical Malpractice and Negligence in Chattanooga

When you have sustained a serious injury at the hands of a medical professional, you should always speak with a medical malpractice attorney who is experienced in personal injury law and who is prepared to deal with medical related cases, like Attorney Alexander W. Gothard.